Apparatus for the separate supply of film bags to a filing machine

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for the separate supply of film bags to a filling machine, with a belt conveyor receiving the film bags as an oblique, fanned out stack. A drive acts on the belt conveyor. A separating wheel is positioned adjacent to the delivery section of the belt conveyor and rests on the top film bag brought in by the belt conveyor. A lever vertically supports the separating wheel and a drive moves the separating wheel. A sensor determines the height of the separating wheel above the belt conveyor. Such sensor controls the drive for the belt conveyor (12). A linear unit supplies a bag to the filling machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus for the individualized, separateor single supply of film bags to a filling machine.

DE-OS 2,922,877 discloses an apparatus for the separate supply of valvebags to a filling machine and in which the valve bags to be suppliedrest in a fanned out manner on a belt conveyor and are separated orindividualized by a clamping wheel.

British Patent 492,920 discloses an apparatus for the supply of sheets,in which blanks are conveyed on a belt conveyor and separated by adriven wheel.

The problem of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for theseparate supply of film bags to a filling machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention this problem is solved by the features of theapparatus. My apparatus for supplying film bags to a filling machineemploys a belt conveyor to transport the bags with a drive elementacting on the belt conveyor. A vertically movably mounted separatingwheel rests on the top of a film bag supplied by the conveyor. A lineardevice with a suction cup at one end supplies the first film bag on thebelt conveyor to the filling machine. A drive element moves theseparating wheel. A photoelectric sensor determines the height of theseparating wheel while controlling the belt conveyor drive. A secondphotoelectric sensor controls the separating wheel drive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to thesingle diagrammatic drawing illustrating an embodiment of the inventionas an elevational view partially in section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus comprises a belt conveyor 12 onto which the film bags 10to be supplied separately to the not shown filling machine are placed inthe form of an oblique, fanned out stack. The belt conveyor 12 isprovided with a drive 14, which moves the upper strand of the beltconveyor 12 towards a stop 16 of a delivery section.

A separating wheel 18 is movably mounted on a pivoted lever 20 and isdriven clockwise by a drive 22 via a driving chain, the pivoted lever 20and the drive 22 being mounted on a bridge 32 displaceable in theconveying direction. As the separating wheel 18 rests on the in eachcase top fill bag 10, it moves the said top bag 10 towards the stop 16of the delivery section.

A first sensor 24 determines the position of the pivoted lever 20 andtherefore the height of the separating wheel 18 above the belt conveyor12. The sensor 24 controls the drive 14 of the belt conveyor 12 in sucha way that the number of film bags 10 below the separating wheel 18remains substantially the same. If the number of film bags 10 below theseparating wheel 18 is too low, the belt conveyor 12 is driven andsupplies further bags, whereas if the number of film bags 10 below theseparating wheel 18 is adequate, then the belt conveyor 12 is stopped.

The sensor 24 can be a photoelectric cell. However, it is also possibleto provide a potentiometer, which is located in the pivot point of thepivoted lever 20. There can also be a continuous control in the case ofsuch an apparatus.

A second sensor 28 also constructed as a photoelectric cell ispositioned in the vicinity of the stop 16 of the delivery section anddetects when the separating wheel 18 has supplied a film bag up to thestop 16 of the delivery section. This second sensor 28 acts on theseparating wheel 18 and therefore ensures that the bag has been insertedup to the stop 16.

A linear unit 26 provided with a suction cup takes the separated filmbag 10 from the delivery section and supplies it to the filling machine,where it is gripped with not shown devices and supplied to the fillingstation.

I claim:
 1. In an apparatus for separately supplying film bags to afilling machine having a belt conveyor receiving the film bags as anoblique fanned out stack, and drive means acting on the belt conveyor, avertically movable mounted separating wheel positioned adjacent to adelivery section of the belt conveyor, the belt conveyor provided with astop, the separating wheel resting on a top film bag supplied by thebelt conveyor and a device for supplying the top film bag on the beltconveyor to the filling machine, the improvement whereina drive means isprovided for turning the separating wheel, a first sensor is mounted onthe apparatus for determining a height of the separating wheel andcontrolling the drive means acting on the belt conveyor, and a secondsensor mounted at the stop, controlling the drive means for turning theseparating wheel.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein theseparating wheel is mounted on a pivoted lever, the first sensordetermining the position of the pivoted lever.
 3. The apparatusaccording to claim 2 wherein the first sensor is a photoelectric cell.4. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the second sensor is aphotoelectric cell.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein thefirst sensor is a photoelectric cell.
 6. The apparatus according toclaim 1 wherein the second sensor is a photoelectric cell.
 7. Theapparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first and second sensors arephotoelectric cells.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein thedevice for supplying the top film bag on the belt conveyor to thefilling machine is a linear unit with a suction cup proximal to the beltconveyor.